At the army encampment, inside the Commander-in-Chief's Tent.
"My apologies, Lord Rei." Kyosuke knew very well when to humble himself.
Now that the Clan Leader had begun suppressing him both openly and covertly, he needed to find himself a backer.
Rei Uchiha was the ideal choice.
The man he had killed in public had been his pledge of allegiance.
Otherwise, that unlucky bastard's offense hadn't actually warranted death. But he had jumped out to make trouble without reading the situation, so he had only himself to blame.
"Hahahaha." Ignoring the fact that Kyosuke had killed someone in full view of everyone, Rei Uchiha warmly took him aside and sat down with him.
Clearly, the Army Commander was very pleased with this pledge of allegiance.
"My little hero, you're finally back." Rei Uchiha made a point of winking at him and said with a knowing smile, "Wasn't I right? Our Clan Leader isn't exactly a broad-minded man."
Kyosuke nodded at that and replied humbly, "It's all thanks to your guidance, my lord."
The two discussed the situation within the Family for a while before the Army Commander ventured, "Would you like me to assign you some men?"
"No need." Kyosuke shook his head. "There's no point forcing people who aren't willing. I'll let the results speak for themselves."
"Good. Just what I'd expect from a future pillar of our clan." Rei Uchiha sounded approving, but inwardly, he couldn't help chuckling.
Still too green... The Army Commander sighed, but after a little thought, he decided not to object.
In truth, he was also worried that Kyosuke wouldn't be able to keep his men in line. If things spiraled out of control, he would be the one left cleaning up the mess.
"Get two and a half years of experience first." With that, Rei Uchiha settled the matter of Kyosuke's appointment.
In fact, assembling a unit for Kyosuke would have been easy with his orders.
The boy's failure to recognize even that showed he still had some growing to do.
As for the results Kyosuke spoke of, he remained rather skeptical. On the battlefield, an individual's strength counted for very little.
Even someone on the level of a Clan Leader couldn't face the smallest-scale army-wide ninjutsu head-on.
"Here's what we'll do." Given Kyosuke's unusual circumstances, Rei Uchiha granted him permission to act independently. "Choose your own missions, but your safety must always come first. I don't want to lose you. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
Once a boy with such talent matured, he would surely become a valuable ally.
Even if it meant supporting him for a few years without getting anything in return, Rei Uchiha didn't want Kyosuke risking his life on the front lines.
Unfortunately, his wish was destined to go unfulfilled.
Why had Kyosuke refused more men?
The reason was simple: he was afraid too many subordinates would steal his kills.
A larger unit meant facing far more dangerous situations.
Not only would farming points be harder, he would also have to deal with others stealing his kills.
After all, not everyone would disregard the benefits that came with military merit.
Rather than worry about that later, he might as well operate as a three-person squad.
That would both reduce the attention his reputation as a genius drew and let him quietly lie low until the day he emerged from his cocoon.
Once he had enough strength, plenty of things would no longer be up to anyone else.
Back in his assigned section of the camp, Kyosuke briefly tidied up before heading to the war mission assignment station.
For now, the Three Clans hadn't made many moves after their plan failed.
The situation was relatively stable, with clashes remaining small in scale.
That suited his plans perfectly.
Presenting the Army Commander's written authorization, Kyosuke bypassed the mission acceptance rules and began browsing a thick stack of wartime requests.
[Mission: infiltrate the Yamanaka clan grounds and investigate the enemy's strategic deployment. Difficulty: S-Rank.]
"Shit, isn't that just suicide? Nope. Not doing that."
[Mission: abduct Mouga Akimichi. Difficulty: S-Rank.]
"Mitsuyoshi Akimichi's daughter? Doesn't that still mean going deep behind enemy lines? Absolutely ridiculous."
[Mission: ambush and eliminate a supply convoy. Difficulty: B-Rank.]
"Oh? This one looks pretty good."
Taking the mission sheet, Kyosuke read through the details.
According to intelligence sent back by spies, the Three Clans were still relocating their people.
Having suffered once already, they had tightened security around the information this time. There was no way to uncover the exact relocation routes.
With no other options, the army could only target their supplies.
Wherever their clanspeople went, they would still need food and other necessities. Perhaps the supply routes would reveal something.
Shinobi transporting supplies would definitely seal them in scrolls to travel light.
That means the group won't be too large. It'll probably consist mainly of elite escorts.
Jonin were important strategic assets. They couldn't be sent out on simple escort missions.
If anything happened to them, no amount of supplies could make up for the loss.
That meant the opposition Kyosuke and his team faced would most likely be Chunin guards drawn from the Three Clans.
They were exactly the prey he wanted.
Points: 4124.
By now, Kyosuke had invested more than enough in taijutsu.
The Sharingan, the Body Flicker Technique, and Uchiha-style Swordsmanship were enough to handle the vast majority of Chunin.
Next, he needed to gradually shift his focus toward higher-level enemies.
During this period, he would start saving points to exchange for advanced ninjutsu powerful enough to kill Jonin outright.
The appearance of the Shisui-style Body Flicker Technique had led many people to label him a ninjutsu genius as well.
In reality, Kyosuke had no idea how to create techniques like that.
Even if he remembered certain hand seal sequences, he couldn't reproduce the ninjutsu without understanding the corresponding chakra circulation routes.
For now, his only option was to exchange points for them.
Perhaps he would exchange for some ninjutsu knowledge when he had free time in the future. Right now, he needed to focus all his energy on combat.
Putting away the mission sheet, Kyosuke returned to his section of the camp and informed his two resting subordinates.
"Get ready. We leave in ten minutes." Then he headed to the supply area, intending to use his title as Unit Commander to get his hands on some good equipment.
Inside the tent, the two subordinates exchanged a glance, each having different thoughts.
Uchiha Izumi: Lord Kyosuke really is a future pillar of the clan. I have so much to learn from his drive.
Uchiha Maya: Doesn't he need any rest? No wonder the Clan Heir thinks so highly of him.
At first, both had been somewhat dissatisfied with Madara Uchiha's orders.
They believed their talents should have kept them fighting on the Main Battlefield.
After spending some time with Kyosuke, especially after watching him kill a man in the Camp to establish his authority, they gradually realized that the boy before them was a true genius whose caliber rivaled the Clan Heir's.
Following him might give them the chance to carve out a bright future.
Ten minutes later...
The three regrouped at the Camp entrance.
After dividing their newly acquired ninja tools and supplies evenly, the squad followed the intelligence and headed ahead to a route the supply convoy would have to pass through.
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